Norway Norway - Arjen Kamphuis, 47, Dutch citizen, Bodø, 20 Aug 2018

[dotr]

This is the shorter version of this article with the same title by Henrik Pryser Libell NYT. Third time it is posted on this thread, and second time you posted it. I say this with love.
Every news outlet seems to copy / borrow from others because there is no new news. How I wish he was found! Alive! And well! Or a trace. A real sighting.

I'm beginning to believe in those conspiracy theories btw. Then I dig a little more into the conspiracies and I stop believing them. So where's Arjen?

Reporter Joya de Boer from Hart van Nederland confirms that Arjen Kamphuis was last seen in the Scandic Bodø hotel.

Joya de Boer‏ @JoyaHVNL 7 sep.
Joya de Boer on Twitter

Omdat scandic Bodø de laatste plek was waar Arjen was, dat zegt zowel de lokale politie als de elite eenheid van de politie KRIPOS. Andere info is onjuist.

Because Scandic Bodø was the last place where Arjen was, that is said by both the local police and the elite police unit KRIPOS. Other info is wrong.

BBM

Even as i posted the article i thought hmm this sounds familiar! Actually should have added it to my slightly earlier post to support the assertion that AK was carrying heavy luggage as opposed to just the black backpack he usually is seen with- will not re post a link to support the backpack comment, lol!

At this point, thinking either AK is in the water somewhere, as many missing men seem to be ultimately located, or some crazy conspiracy theories are maybe not so crazy. imo.

 

[Chiatos]

So after all, it is the Scandic in Bodø instead of the Scandic Havet!
(What a mix up.)

 

[ZaZara]

No indications of a crime in the disappearance of Arjen Kamphuis


Despite intensive investigation, the Norwegian police have so far found nothing that suggests a crime in the disappearance of cyber expert Arjen Kamphuis. This is reported by the police of the Nordland district, where Kamphuis was last seen.

For over a week the Norwegian police have been searching for the 47-year-old Kamphuis. He disappeared on 20 August after he checked out from his hotel in the northern town of Bodø.

Ten days later, on 30 August, his phone appears to have been switched on for a short time just outside Stavanger, more than 1700 kilometres to the south. It is not yet certain that this has been done by Kamphuis, although friends and colleagues think that the computer expert has made his telephone so secure that no one else can access it.

The Norwegian police have been looking for Kamphuis for a week and a half, among other things by deploying the special unit Kripos. According to the Norwegian journalist Gunnar Andreassen, the deployment of this unit does indicate that one considers the possibility of a crime. "The police in Bodø are able to conduct a search, with or without the help of local rescue teams. The fact that Kripos is involved means that one presumes a crime," he says emphatically. So far, the police say they don't assume that this is the case.

BBM


I wonder if the search would be any different if they did assume that a crime was committed?

IMHO if AK had gone for a last hike, he might have left his luggage in the hotel or at the railway station and taken his backpack. The only exception that I can think of for taking all his luggage on the assumed hike, would be that he was heading to the next train station, for instance Mørkved. The next stop after that is Valnesfjord, 40+ kms from Bodø.

 

[MFH]

Is there anyone that could create some type of map with some of these points (and others mentioned so far):

Hotel last seen
Train station
Sightings
Phone turned on area
Where he was supposed to take the train to
Where he was flying to (Home?)

From what I’ve read it seems that a lot of these locations are pretty spread out and I’m just trying to get a grasp on the geography of everywhere.

Anyone good at doing maps like this?

 

[ZaZara]

Best map / overview that I have seen sofar:

1. Bodø, Norway, 20-08 check out hotel (*)
2. Trondheim, Norway, 22-08 would leave from airport
3. Vikeså, Norway, 30-08 signal from simcard for 20 minutes
4. Ribe, Denmark, 03-09 seen by witnesses

.. Amsterdam, Netherlands, 22-08 did not have arrive home



* the picture of the hotel is once again the wrong picture. Arjen Kamphuis was staying in the Scandic Bodø Hotel, at a 5 minute walk along the street, in a straight line from the railway station.

 

[MFH]

Best map / overview that I have seen sofar:

1. Bodø, Norway, 20-08 check out hotel (*)
2. Trondheim, Norway, 22-08 would leave from airport
3. Vikeså, Norway, 30-08 signal from simcard for 20 minutes
4. Ribe, Denmark, 03-09 seen by witnesses

.. Amsterdam, Netherlands, 22-08 did not have arrive home



* the picture of the hotel is once again the wrong picture. Arjen Kamphuis was staying in the Scandic Bodø Hotel, at a 5 minute walk along the street, in a straight line from the railway station.

Thank you!! Very interesting. It does seem to chronologically and geographically line up... but still odd if not in his plans at all.

 

[Lorrie]

If he really wanted to go for a walk, Mørkved is a better place, it is closer to the forrest. But it is nothing at the station, you cant store anything. It is close to a high school, the university and a shopping centre and some other shops and you have to walk for a while to get to the forrest. Hiking in Valnesfjord is not practical if you dont have a car, but easy to go for a short walk if you have. The centre isnt very much beside a restaurant, a couple of grocery shops.

The dutch police have arrived in Bodø, to cooperate and to exchange information. They are staying this week and specialists working with missing people.

According to vg.no the police have secured videofilms from Vikeså, but no sign of Arjen Kamphuis.

 

[ZaZara]

I'm beginning to think he made it to Trondheim. Here's the theory, it includes the phone. Because it is odd to say the least that Arjen would have read a message and not answered it.

My current theory goes as follows:

The disappearance of Arjen Kamphuis has nothing to do with Arjen Kamphuis being who he is, his work, his past, his projects and even less with any connection with Julian Assange. All that is noise that obscures the core of the matter.

Arjen Kamphuis leaves the Scandic Bodø hotel and boards the nine o'clock train in the evening of August 20.
He arrives in Værnes (airport) or Trondheim around seven o'clock the next morning (August 21). On arrival, or shortly after, he becomes the victim of a robbery with violence.
The perpetrators are not interested in the person Arjen Kamphuis. They want his phone and money.
The locked phone is sold on the black market.
The buyer isn't interested in the contents of the phone, he tries to get access and when this does not work, he simply reboots the phone, resets the device to factory settings and inserts a simcard of his own.

It is my understanding that you cannot protect your phone against resetting to default, to factory settings - not even AK could prevent that. All you basically have to do is push some buttons on the outside of the phone. I'm no phone wizzard, so educate me if I'm wrong but that is what I understood from a conversation.

If I am right, the person or persons who switched the simcard are either the perpetrators or more likely the buyers of the stolen phone. The new simcard was German, this might point to networks of migrants and illegal migrants. Norway belongs to the Schengen area, and once you're in, you can go anywhere.

Since AK did not report the theft of his phone, it follows that he did not survive the robbery. The sightings in Denmark were of another person.

I would look for similar robberies in the Trondheim area.

All theory. I hope I am wrong and he comes home asap.

 

[Lorrie]

I am not sure I agree with you, as far as I remember the police states that he did not use his train ticket to Trondheim. You have to order a seat or a sleeper in your name when you buy the ticket so the conductor will know if the person is seated or not.

 

[ZaZara]

I am not sure I agree with you, as far as I remember the police states that he did not use his train ticket to Trondheim. You have to order a seat or a sleeper in your name when you buy the ticket so the conductor will know if the person is seated or not.

Ha! that is news to me. But still...

 

[ZaZara]

The police have secured video material from Rogaland

The police have secured video material from the area where the phone belonging to the missing security expert Arjen Kamphuis (47) connected on the evening of August 30, ten days after he was last seen in Bodø.

"We have secured and received data from places we believe it is relevant to obtain video material," police inspector Bjarte Walla at Nordland Police District tells VG.

Vikeså in Rogaland is one of the areas the police have checked video cameras.

They have done that because the phone of Kamphuis would have been turned on in the area for approx. 20 minutes and it would have connected on to several base stations in the area.

"This is material we are going through now. What happened on August 30 is that this phone connected to several base stations in Rogaland. There is a German and Dutch SIM card, and they should have been in the same phone, "said Walla.

The police have not yet found any trace of Kamphuis on the video recordings they have secured.

Arjen Kamphuis is from the Netherlands and was on holiday to Norway. He would travel home by plane on August 22, but never appeared at the departure.

Monday, two investigators from a special department in Dutch police arrived in Bodø. They work daily with missing persons and are now collaborating with Kripos and local police in the matter.


BBM

 

[dotr]

Wondering if AK generally had a happy disposition, a significant other, and/ or children?

 

[ZaZara]

Wondering if AK generally had a happy disposition, a significant other, and/ or children?

These people are Pirates, hackers and digital security specialists. They keep personal info personal.

His friends have clearly stated that he had made plans for after his holidays, that he was looking forward to his projects and that nothing indicates that he would want to miss his appointments.

No doubt many tips and theories are being discussed by his friends and fellow hackers, but this isn't happening in for instance an open or closed FB group.

 

[Chiatos]

According to this news, the police have 3 theories:
- he is in hiding by his own choice
- he has had an accident
- he may have committed something criminal
Vi holder alle muligheter åpne. Både at han holder seg skjult fordi han vil det, fordi han har vært utsatt for en ulykke eller at det kan ha tilstått noe kriminelt, forteller han.

Film in Norwegian:
Her er politiets tre teorier om hva som kan ha skjedd

On the 22nd of August he should have travelled to London?
22. august skulle han til London for å holde foredrag. Men mannen som alltid holder avtaler, møtte ikke opp denne dagen.

 

[FrostOwl]

If I am right, the person or persons who switched the simcard are either the perpetrators or more likely the buyers of the stolen phone. The new simcard was German, this might point to networks of migrants and illegal migrants. Norway belongs to the Schengen area, and once you're in, you can go anywhere.

Yes, Norway belongs to the Schengen area, and free movement is allowed, but at the moment it doesn't that people can travel from continental Europe to Norway without showing identity documents. Since November 2015 Sweden (and I think Norway) have stronger inner customs checks at its borders, due to the high influx of migrants to Sweden in 2015. I was in Copenhagen in June and went by train, there is a customs checkpoint on the Sweden side after the Öresund bridge and the identity papers of all passengers were checked.

 

[ZaZara]

Yes, Norway belongs to the Schengen area, and free movement is allowed, but at the moment it doesn't that people can travel from continental Europe to Norway without showing identity documents. Since November 2015 Sweden (and I think Norway) have stronger inner customs checks at its borders, due to the high influx of migrants to Sweden in 2015. I was in Copenhagen in June and went by train, there is a customs checkpoint on the Sweden side after the Öresund bridge and the identity papers of all passengers were checked.

So Arjen Kamphuis would have been checked too if he went from Norway to Denmark where he was allegedly seen?

And he would NOT have been checked if he had taken a plane to Amsterdam?

 

[ZaZara]

Radio interview with Ancilla about the disappearance of Arjen Kamphuis

In Dutch, and no subtitles in the video.

Some highlights, from memory and not necessarily in chronological order:

Arjen Kamphuis was looking forward to his holiday in Norway. In the days before he left there was a permanent heatwave in the Netherlands and he took the heat badly.
He had made many plans for after his return. Was also planning to go picknicking with Ancilla and another friend.

Ancilla wasn't aware that he had not returned until someone alerted her that Arjen had missed a meeting. She has a key to his home and went to take a look. He wasn't there and nothing indicated that he had returned from the holiday. They could not reach him and immediately alerted the police.

Ancilla started calling hotels where he might be staying. he wasn't there. Arjen Kamphuis checked out from the Scandic Bodø in person. The clerk spoke with him at the desk and recognized him.

It is still unclear who connected the phone to the network near Stavanger. Arjen is not on any of the images that the police have seen sofar. They are also busy checking mobile and bank data.

Ancilla suggests that it is not a coincidence that Arjen went to Bodø. Arjen is a cyber security expert, and Bodø has a one of the biggest cyber security centers (NATO) of the world.

The interviewer wants to know if Arjen could have been abducted by some Secret Service, and Ancilla answers that she would like to live in a world where this does not happen, but unfortunately that is not so. (Short answer: she does not know.)

 

[ZaZara]

25 Tips after Norwegian TV broadcast about the disappearance of Arjen Kamphuis

The police are still working on full strength to find out where Dutchman Arjen Kamphuis is.

"After yesterday's participation in Åsted Norway on TV2 we have received a number of interesting tips that we follow up. There are a total of 25 tips, police inspector Bjarte Walla tells in a press release from the Nordland police district.

Most of the tips are observations of a man similar to the description and / or image of Kamphuis.

"A couple of them from the Bodø area, but most are from Stavanger and Vikeså, and they are from the period of 30 August and the following days. We follow up every single tip," Walla says.

The police still encourage others to contact them if they have information on the matter.

"The case is still open. We investigate along more lines and have no main theory as of now about what has happened or whether there has been a criminal offense."


BBM

 

[Chiatos]

I hope Arjen is alive and well.

A massive NATO exercise is underway organised by the NJHQ at Bodo.
SHAPE | Plans for Massive NATO exercise in Norway underway.

Possible sightings of Arjen in Stavanger:

The Norwegian Joint Headquarters (Norwegian: Forsvarets operative hovedkvarter, FOH) is the Norwegian Armed Forces operational commando-center. It is located at Reitan outside Bodø, ..... The current organization was created on 1 August 2009, replacing a former joint commando center in Stavanger, which merged with the Northern Norway Command.
Norwegian Joint Headquarters - Wikipedia

I don't know whether any of this is relevant, but you never know.

 

[FrostOwl]

So Arjen Kamphuis would have been checked too if he went from Norway to Denmark where he was allegedly seen?

And he would NOT have been checked if he had taken a plane to Amsterdam?

I didn't have to show any identity papers entering Denmark, so unless the rules are different coming from Norway to Denmark he wouldn't have to show any identity papers when entering Denmark, and there are no checkpoints when travelling from Norway to Sweden. So he could have taken a train from Norway to Denmark going through Sweden without having to show any identity papers, as well as taking a ferry from Norway to Denmark (unless the ferry company wanted to see an id, the rules changed after the Estonia tragedy and ferries had to have the names of passengers).

As for taking an airplane to Amsterdam, I think all air carriers demand that the passengers show an identity paper, so that they know the names of the passengers for safety reasons, not to check their nationality within Schengen travels.

You can travel within Schengen without having a passport, but you need some kind of national identity card to show when checking in at a hotel, or when flying and probably when taking a ferry, as they want to know who is staying/travelling with them, for security reasons, if something happens.